The Meaning of Saving Someone
by Teremko
Summary: AU from Heaven's Feel: Having met a two years old genius with a dream similar but different from his, Shirou takes another path to reach his ideal. How will a more jaded Shirou deal with Hanokiwa Academy ?


**Title**: The Meaning of Saving Someone

**Main characters****: **Emiya Shirou/ Kurokami Medaka (FSN/Medaka Box crossover)

**Pairing**: Shirou/Rider, Shirou/Ilya (siblings at least, maybe more if I can give a more mature body to Ilya in a believable fashion) Shirou/Medaka (siblings), undecided if others pairings will appear.

**Rating**: M (For violence, language and adult situations)

**Summary****:** AU from Heaven's Feel: Having met a two years old genius with a dream similar but different from his, Shirou takes another path to reach his ideal. How will a more jaded Shirou deal with Hanokiwa Academy ?

**Warnings:**Descriptive violence, death, strong language, implied adult situations. No lemon expected for now, if ever. Spoilers for the V/N Fate/Stay Night This story assumes you already have some basics in the scenario of the V/N in general and Heaven's Feel in particular. This story will have spoilers for the manga Medaka Box, at least till the Jet Black Wedding arc.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Zero or any Type-moon or nasuverse reference nor do I own Medaka Box. I don't get any money for this story (which is a pity because then I wouldn't have to actually work xP)

**AN: **I'm sorry but it isn't the next chapter for Tales of a Faker yet, but I'll explain a bit more in the AN at the end of the chapter =)

**The Meaning of Saving Someone.**

**Prologue: first part**

**Interlude**

Two children were playing in a room full of stuffed toys, puzzles, mind games and several other games. One, a little boy, about two years old in age, with blond hair, grey eyes and with a cute innocent face, dressed with a blue hoodie, was laughing in delight as he was looking at another child. This one was a little girl seemingly of the same age as the boy, with short blue hair and brown eyes and dressed in a white and blue dress. She had a stoic expression on her face, more suited to an adult ten times her age, as she was solving puzzle after puzzle, as fast as the blond kid was giving them to her. As the last mind game was solved without the girl ever changing her bored expression, the blond boy jumped in excitement.

"Wow, you really solved all these puzzles, you're really amazing!" The joy in the boy's voice made the scowl on the blue haired girl deepen a bit.

"It's not really amazing and even if it was, it's not like there is any merit to it. Just like me being born and living right now, these things don't hold any meaning as well." The girl's serious tone of voice confused the blond child, who twirled to face her with an interrogative expression on his face.

"Huh, do you really think so? I don't think there is anything meaningless in this world." The honest confusion in the boy's voice made the blue haired pause a bit, before her eyes narrowed.

"If you really think so, then tell me: Why was I born in this world?"

"Huh? That's a simple question! See, we've only met and you have already made me this happy… I'm sure you were born to make other people around you happy!" At this, the boy gave the other child a smile so radiant that the blue-haired child got momentarily speechless. Then she huffed in a childish pout with a hand on her hip.

"Humph… What's your name?" The abrupt change of conversation puzzled the blond boy before he smiled again.

"Ah, it is Hitoyoshi Zenkichi."

"And I'm Kurokami Medaka." At this, the blue-haired girl lost her scowl, replaced by an embarrassed and hopeful expression. "Then… Then… Zenkichi, p-p-please marry me!" She closed her eyes, her cheeks beet red.

"Huh, no way." The blond boy's instant answer shattered the little girl composure, the expression of shock more suited to a girl her age than any other till this point. Unaware of the emotional response of the precocious girl, Zenkichi had started busy himself again with the numerous toys scattered in the room. Before Medaka could say anything more, a girl, looking like an elementary school student, with the same eyes and hair as Zenkichi and dressed in a white lab coat barged in the room. She looked around and her eyes brightened when they got on the blue clad girl.

"Oh, Medaka-chan, this is where you were hiding." She was panting while holding her knees, like she had done a strenuous effort. "I see you have met Zen-chan! That's great. I hope you'll be a great friend for him!" Still shocked, the little blue-haired girl didn't have time to answer as a blond blur tackled the lab coated girl.

"Mum, you're here! Look Medaka-chan helped me do all the puzzles here. She's amazing, isn't she? She's my best friend!" The blond little boy started to speak excitedly.

"I'm happy for you, Zen-chan. Promise me you'll be good for Medaka-chan from now on." The blond boy turned instantly serious.

"Yes, I promise, I'll do my best to help Medaka-chan." The young looking woman couldn't help but giggle at the serious face of her son and the still frozen girl, who had now a blush on her cheeks again.

"Fufufu, you two are so precious! Well, we have to go now, till next time, Medaka-chan!" The blond woman holding Zenkichi turned around, in direction to the door when the blond boy got free from the hold and ran toward the girl. Still with a serious expression, he put a thin wood and paper fan in her hand.

"Here, as thanks for helping me. Bye-bye Medaka-chan, let's play again sometimes!" The little boy's attitude made another one-eighty as he started waving wildly and ran back to his mother's side.

The blue-haired girl could only wave weakly as she looked at the retreating blond duo, now deep in a loud conversation.

"I was … rejected…" Slowly her expression went back to normal, and then a small smile appeared on her face. "Still, living to make other people happy, huh?" She snapped the fan open, masking her lower face. "Fufufu, Hitoyoshi Zenkichi, you intrigue me!"

* * *

A few weeks after her meeting with the blond boy named Zenkichi, Medaka found herself alone on a playing ground. She had met the little boy several times in the interval, always playing some games or rather her helping him doing some things or another. She had tried once or twice to teach him some things she had learned during her studies, but for some reason, the little boy never understood what she was talking about. Still, it was a welcome change from the endless study that was her daily life till now. This day, she even had convinced the staff to let her go with her friend playing outside in the little park, but at the last minute, Zenkichi hadn't been able to come as he had caught the flu. It was why she was now sitting alone on a bench, a few meters away from the sandbox, swings, slides and so. The caretaker who should have supervised her had had to excuse herself for a few minutes and had left her there. She snapped her fan open. Since Zenkichi had given it to her, she had taken to bring it along with her anywhere she went. It had become a habitude for her to snap it open when she was confronted to a dilemma. Such as she was at this moment.

"Hmmm, it's surprisingly boring to be here by myself… Maybe I should go back home and come back later with Zenkichi." As she was deep in thought, a few yells and shouts suddenly caught her attention. She turned her head and saw a few boys older than her, grouped around something she couldn't see from where she was. They seemed to be around nine or ten and were shouting and gesturing wildly. Curious, the little blue-haired girl went closer.

"Hey, look at this. It looks like it's trying to escape. As if he could in the state he is." One of the boys was laughing loudly as he was pointing at something in the middle of the impromptu circle formed by the gang.

"Hey, Hey, let's find a cat and see how it will do!" Said another boy, getting cheers from his friends.

Finally, Medaka got close enough to the group to see what was happening, and couldn't stop a gasp. There, surrounded by the boys, was a little bird which seemed to have a broken wing. Some of the boys were threatening it with sticks or their feet as the frightened bird was trying to flee. It had almost succeeded when the boy who seemed to be the leader hit it mercilessly, sending it crashing back in the centre of the circle.

With a speed she didn't know she had, Medaka found herself pushing one of the bigger boys away and then rushed to the bird, cradling it on her chest. She felt something hard poking her on the shoulder and turned her head to meet the glare of the leader, still holding a stick. The other boys around him were all glaring at her as well, some trying to get more threatening by cracking their knuckles or waving their sticks.

"Oi, girl, what do you think you're doing?" The angry and arrogant tone of voice made her snap, and for a second, her hair seemed to take on an orange color. The bird on her chest seemed to become totally still, before shivering with more fear than before.

"That's my line! What do you think you're doing to this poor bird? What on earth could ever make you think it would be something nice to bully a hurt animal? Are you so unhappy at home that you have to take it on weaker things?" The little girl's angry retort made the boys speechless for a few moments before the leader narrowed his eyes at her.

"What's it to you, huh? Do you think you can barge in, stop our fun, insult us and go away without trouble just because you're a girl? Think again, idiot! Still, as you're just a little brat, I'm being considerate. If you apologize on your knees, we'll let you go." The leader had a wicked smile on his face as he looked at the blue-haired girl. "Well, what do you say? Will you apologize to us? If not, we could become a bit brutal… You wouldn't want that, would you?"

"Oi, oi don't you think you're going a bit far?" The other boys seemed to be a bit anxious as they were looking alternatively at their leader and the little girl.

"Who would apologize to bully like you? You don't have a reason to hit me so I don't have a reason to apologize, do I?" The blue-haired girl had a defiant stare fixed on the boy's leader. Said leader seemed to become enraged and the other boys were looking at her with anger as well.

"You'll see if we have no reason to hit you!" The leader ran at her and pulled back his feet to kick her in the abdomen. Medaka closed her eyes and braced herself for the hit. When she didn't feel any pain, she opened her eyes again, to see that the foot had been stopped by another child, which had appeared literally from nowhere. The newcomer was a boy, seemingly older than the other by a year or two, with red hair and golden brown eyes which were narrowed at the gang. He was dressed with a white T-shirt and black pants.

"You guys have stooped as low as bullying little girls as well as animals now?" The newcomer's voice had a warm and kind quality to it, but there was anger directed to the other boys. The gang had been surprised by the sudden arrival but quickly got their attitude back.

"Heh, Emiya… Still going with this superhero crap, I see. Did you really think you could be the knight in shining armor saving the princess? Get real! Did you forget what happened last time?" The other bullies laughed at that, but the red-haired boy kept his stoic expression.

"It doesn't matter what happens to me. I don't care if you hit me, but I'll do my best to save someone who needs it." Medaka looked at the red haired boy with an awed expression as he took a defensive posture as the gang rushed at him.

The group of bully punched and kicked him for a few minutes. One or two even used their sticks to try to do more damages, but the golden-eyes boy never screamed or whimpered in pain. He never seemed to even acknowledge the pain, and after a few moments, the bully got tired.

"Tche, it's boring. Come guys, let's go do something else." Following their leader, the group of bully left the park, leaving the blue-haired girl, still holding the hurt bird, and the red-haired boy. Said boy had left his defensive posture to examine his wounds, and nodded at himself. It was then that Medaka found her voice back.

"Thank you mister but why would you do that for me?" Her tone of voice was confused. Sure it was something she would do in a heartbeat, but it was the first time she had seen another do the same. The boy looked at her with surprise as he tilted his head on the side.

"What do you mean 'why'? You needed help so I helped you. My dream is to become a Superhero to save other people so isn't it normal I would save someone in need?" Now that the bully had left, the boy's voice only contained warmth and kindness. "By the way, are you and the bird okay?" The genuine concern in his tone made Medaka blink.

"Y-y-yes, we're okay, thank you very much." The little girl seemed to be deep in thought for a few seconds when she lifted her head to look at the boy in the eyes. "I'm Kurokami Medaka, it's a pleasure to meet you." She bowed deeply to the older boy, who rubbed his neck awkwardly.

"He he, I'm Emiya Shirou, nice to meet you as well." An awkward silence occurred before Medaka broke it in a shy voice.

"Err, Shirou-san, what did you mean when you said you would do anything to help someone in need?" The older boy looked shyly away while blushing at the question.

"Well, you see, I have this dream: I want to become a superhero, an ally of justice, someone able to save everyone! To accomplish my dream, I'm ready to do anything!" At the end, he was almost shouting before he chuckled embarrassedly. "I'm sorry, when talking about my dream I can become quite carried away. You must think it's stupid, aren't you?" The blue-haired little girl could only shake her head empathetically.

"No, I think it's a great dream. My dream is to make everybody around me happy, as I was born for the sake of helping others!" Still holding the hurt bird in one hand, she used her free one to snap her fan open, hiding the big smile on her lower face.

Everybody she had talked to about her dream had reacted with condescension, amusement, or with dismissal but the red-haired older boy surprised her again when he positively beamed at her with excitement in his golden eyes.

"That's a great dream, Medaka-chan! I really hope you can accomplish it. Our goals aren't so far from each other!" The smile on the little girl's face grew wider with excitement as well.

"You're right! Let's make a deal: You'll save people, and I'll make them happy!"

"I can do that! I'll be counting on you then, Medaka-chan." The smile he beamed at the blue-haired girl made her blush a bright red. Even though she was very mature and precocious for her age, Medaka was still a two years old who had a tendency to act impulsively.

"T-t-then, l-l-let's get m-m-married!" As soon as the words left her mouth, the little girl gasped and lowered her head, while the older boy could only look at her with wide blinking eyes and a wide opened mouth.

**Interlude out**

* * *

"T-t-then, l-l-let's get m-m-married!" I could only blink dumbly with my mouth wide open as the little girl in front of me dropped a bomb on me. Nothing could have prepared me to be proposed by a girl I had just met, who didn't look older than two or three.

I was coming back from buying groceries and cutting through the park when a ruckus had got my attention. I had gone to see what was happening when I had saw a little girl protecting an injured bird from a gang of bully. As the boys were getting more and more aggressive and were planning on being violent, I had to intervene. Even though I wasn't very talented in magecraft, I was able to reinforce my limbs and clothes. It had become a necessity as I was often in fights and I didn't want to worry Fuji-nee by being bruised or hurt.

Reinforcing myself, I had moved with a speed greater than a twelve year old should have, but still way in the human boundaries, and I had stopped the kick sent to the blue-haired girl. After letting them hit me for a time, they had gotten bored and had left. I could have beaten them, but from experience, I knew the best way to deal with this kind of bully was not to fight back, but instead showing them what they were doing was useless. Still I was glad I had been able to help the little girl. I was even happier when I heard of her dream as it was close to mine. Which led to me being proposed to by a girl ten years my junior.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I can be quite oblivious when it comes to girl. According to Fuji-nee, I couldn't discern a girl's feeling even if they were slapping me in the face, which, while a bit harsh in my opinion, was an accurate description of my awareness for some things. Still, even I could see that the girl had been sincere and was mortified by what she had said. Inhaling deeply, I crouched in front of the little girl and called her name gently.

"Medaka-chan, please look at me." She lifted her head and I could see hope anxiousness, loneliness, and a myriad of emotions, in her eyes. With the gentlest voice I could muster, I replied to the first and most likely the strangest confession I would get. "I'm very sorry Medaka-chan, but for now, I think we're too young to get married. Still, I would like to become your friend. If you want, you could even see me as a big brother." I could now read a bit of disappointment, but also relief and confusion in her brown eyes.

"A big brother?" The way she was tilting her head with a confused expression was just adorable. For all she tried to act mature and older, it seemed that deep inside, she was just a lonely little girl.

"Yeah, I don't really have a family. I have something of a big sister, and her father is a bit like an uncle for me, but I don't have a family anymore so that's why…" I couldn't help but turn away in embarrassment, scratching my cheek. The blue-haired girl was looking at me with a red face, hidden behind her paper fan.

"I… I already have a big sister and a big brother, but I wouldn't mind having another one… Shirou-nii-san." The only thought in my mind at this moment was that a smile was definitely more suited to her face than the mature one she had sported till then, and I couldn't help but beam back at her.

For a few months, I met with Medaka-chan at the little park. After some times, she introduced me to her friend, Hitoyoshi Zenkichi. From what I could gather, it seemed the little blond boy had been the one to give her dream to Medaka. Even though he didn't seem to have the same physical or intellectual abilities as the blue-haired girl, he tried his best to keep up with her so I couldn't help but befriend him as well. Medaka had an incredible charisma and could be quite pushy at times so I wasn't very surprised when a flock of little boys and girls of two and three started to follow my two little friends. The parents looking after the children had been a bit skeptical at first at a gathering of kids so young, but my presence comforted some of them, as I had helped them with various chore or other things. It wasn't common for a teen like me to hang with pre-elementary children, but I didn't have a lot of friends and I had taken a liking to the precocious blue-haired girl and her blond sidekick. Before meeting Medaka, I had looked for foolish challenges to deal with my frustration after my father's death (I still hadn't been able to clear this high jump's height), but meeting this girl with a dream so similar to mine had brought me back to the child I was before the death of Emiya Kiritsugu.

Then, quite suddenly, Medaka and Zenkichi left Fuyuki. I knew Medaka was tested as a prodigy at a facility not far from town and that Zenkichi was the son of one of the doctors, but it was still a shock when the facility and people were moved to another city. Without the two leaders, the little group of children quickly drifted away and I went back to my old habitude to do any chore I could, and trying to clear idiotic challenges. Still, it hadn't been all bad as I met some good people, like Ryuudou Issei, who would become my best friend, Matou Shinji, with whom I had a weird relationship and lastly, his younger sister, Matou Sakura, which began to help me after I injured myself. Oddly, I never tried to ask for news from Medaka but as years went by, I didn't think about her or her blond friend anymore.

* * *

**A few years later**

I was sitting in the cold on a bench. The sun had set down and between the dark clouds, the moon tried and failed to pierce the night. The air was chilly, and I could feel the cold humid air around me, sign that the rain would come sooner than later. I don't know how long I had been there, as I sat deep in thought, but I absently started to look around.

"Hmmm I guess Ilya won't be there tonight." Thinking about the fairy-like girl distracted me a bit and made me think about more mundane things, like how this park had shrunk, because of a new building policy, from a big place with a lot of plants and playground to little more than a few benches scattered around a grass ground. Thinking about the park as is was a few years ago made a flash of a blue-haired little girl come into my mind. I sighed, remembering times where my life had been easier, and when I didn't have to make life-changing choices.

My definition of a normal and easy life had been shattered a few days earlier. I never had had a normal life, being the foster son of a Magus, and being trained in Magecraft, but even then, it had been a life I had been used to. Then, I had been witness to a battle between superhuman people, almost been killed twice in the same night, had summoned my own superhuman, called Servant, and been told I was part of a magical version of a Battle Royal between seven magi, called Masters, and their Servant. I had dealt with a few battles and had lost my Servant but still had wanted to fight to prevent a disaster like the fire which had consumed my neighborhood ten years prior to occur again.

Until I learned about the Shadow. This Shadow wasn't really a Servant but had the ability to absorb Servants and human souls. I had learned today that not only was my friend Sakura the Master of a powerful Servant, the Rider Medusa, but she was also linked to the Shadow.

Sakura. Little shy Sakura, who had become a gentle and beautiful woman. One of my dearest friends had the potential to become one of the worst murderers in history all because a withered old man couldn't let go of his misguided dream.

As an ally of justice, wanting to become a superhero, it was my duty to prevent such a thing to ever happen. It was the logical choice, that even Tohsaka, her biological older sister had agreed on. So why was I so confused? Was it just because the sacrifice was someone I knew?

'Glomp' I was distracted once again from my darker thoughts when a weight suspended itself on my arm.

"I had wanted to prank you when you ignored me, but you had such a scary face that I didn't dare, Onii-chan." I could almost see the laugh in the white-haired girl gripping on my arm. She had the impish face of a child, with her wide round red eyes looking at me with excitement. She wore her usual purple coat and her white knee length skirt. With all that was happening I thought I couldn't bear with her happy disposition and would be angry, but it had an oddly calming effect on me. I could feel the fairy-like girl's concern for me and it made me wonder how my life would have turned out if we had been raised together.

"Good evening Ilya. I'm glad that even though it is nighttime, you didn't deal with me as a Master." She looked at me with genuine confusion in her eyes.

"Why would I want to kill you, Shirou? You don't have a Servant or your Command Spells anymore so there isn't any reason we should be enemies. Well I could use this occasion to make you mine for good ~" She giggled happily as she tackled my arm again. Even with all that had happened today, I couldn't bring myself to be angry at the genuine display of affection. With my other hand, I started to stroke her hair.

"You know, in a way I'm already yours… Even if it's complicated, aren't we… kinda… family?" My voice became awkward as Ilya went absolutely stiff. Still, she didn't pull apart from me screaming indignantly so I carried on. "I was wondering… You call me 'Onii-chan' but aren't you a bit older than I? Shouldn't I call you 'Onee-san' instead?" At this, the white-haired girl's head went up in a flash.

"Y-y-you idiot… D-d-d-don't you know it's rude to ask a lady her age?" Even though she tried to act as usual, her bright red cheeks and the radiant smile were obvious. She quickly hid her head back down on my arm and for a few moments, we stayed like this without breaking the silence.

"So, what will you do concerning Sakura? You know that Rin will try to kill her if she shows the slightest sign of becoming a heretic". It was after a little while that Ilya started again, on darker topics. She had seated herself on my side and while she was still holding my arm, it wasn't the lighthearted hug than before. My worries had come back and I was thinking about the exact same thing. It didn't even surprise me that Ilya knew about Sakura. After all, she was one of the most powerful magi in this war so it was obvious she would have some source of information. "You are my family Shirou. When you look at me, you don't see the Einzbern homunculus, one of the more powerful magus or even Berserker's Master. Well, maybe not for the last one, but still when you look at me, you first see Emiya Kiritsugu's daughter, your sister. Whatever path you want to follow, I will gladly give you my support!"

An honest confession. The girl before me was basically telling me that she would forsake whatever upbringing she had had, just because she wanted to help me. For a moment, her face was overlapped with another face of a blue haired little girl telling me she would help with my dream but after blinking it disappeared.

Basically, I had two paths before me: I could either save the hundreds or thousands unknown people who were at risk from the shadow, or I could save Sakura, who had become one of the most precious people in my life, not unlike the little albino still looking at me with expectant eyes. As I closed my eyes, I could see different memories come and go in a flash: the fire, which had been my starting point, culminating with me being saved by Kiritsugu, the few years I had with him, badgering him to learn Magecraft, his last words to me, entrusting his dream of being a superhero to me, the various things I had done to try to help the most people I could. Finally, as I was thinking about the oath I had made to the disappeared Servant in blue who had protected me, a single sentence came back to me. An innocent sentence told by a blue-haired innocent girl which had a dream close to mine.

'You save the people and I'll make them happy…'

Yes, our dreams were close, so close they could be twins, but still, fundamentally different. Suddenly, it was like my mind became made of steel as I started to analyze the situation coldly and came to a decision.

"You know, there is another path which could be taken, Nee-san." Even if my mind was cold and hard as steel, I still had a nice feeling by calling the girl by her proper title. Ilya seemed to be taken aback for a second before she focused her attention on me.

"What do you mean Shirou? Either you protect Sakura, or you take Kiritsugu's path to save the other people…" She narrowed her eyes. Even though I could be quite oblivious, it was clear that Ilya wasn't fond of the second choice.

"You know Nee-san, like many other people, you make the same misunderstanding. Well, I did too, until now… There is a fundamental difference between saving people and making them happy." The white-haired girl looked at me like she had been stricken, before narrowing her eyes at me in anger.

"Are you an idiot? Obviously someone saved will be happy? And even so, what has that to do with the situation? Will you take the same path as Kiritsugu and sacrifice whatever is dear to you to save unknown people who will never care about you?" More than anger, it was betrayal I read in her red eyes but still my mind of steel held and I kept my cool.

"You're mistaken. The misconception that saving people makes them happy comes from the fairy tales and stories. Reality is different. If you save the life of someone who wants to commit suicide, will he become happy? The same if you save someone from an accident, only to tell him that his family has died in it and that he will be paraplegic for the rest of his life… No, when you think about it, a so-called hero only saves the life of people. Afterwards, it is up to them to become happy or not. The only thing you can tell is that a living person has the potential to become happy so saving them allows them to keep this potential." It was the sad truth of this world: not everybody saved could be happy, and the opposite was even truer. You could not save all the happy people. Some of the anger had bled out of Ilya's eyes, but she still was looking at me cautiously.

"So, I still don't see what it has to do with the situation…"

"You see, Nee-san, as a hero, I only have to save the people's life. It's not up to me to make them happy. Sure, I would like better if they were happy, but truthfully, I don't really care… After all, as you told me, I don't know most of them. What I mean is that if you don't take happiness in account, there are other ways to save people…"

"You don't mean…" Now, there was horror in the normally childish eyes. Kotomine had explained me that removing totally the Worm Crest would be like ripping all of Sakura's nerves apart. Coming from an old family of Magi, Ilya had to know that as well.

"No, I didn't mean that, even though it certainly is still a possibility." This solution was disgusting to me, but the cold steel in me still told me it could be done as a last resort. "What I was thinking about was more like keeping Sakura in an artificial comatose state. Keeping her from using more than the bare minimum magical energy. Still, even that is only hypothetical…"

"What do you mean? With your ideal and Kiritsugu's, isn't Sakura someone you should stop at all costs? Someone who threatens the very innocent?" There is bitterness and sarcasm in Ilya's voice but more than everything, there is confusion as well.

"That's true, Nee-san, but to the best of my knowledge, and I didn't get any evidence to contradict that, Sakura has not killed any innocent yet." The little fairy-like girl jerked back as she had been slapped. "I'll admit she was the cause of most of the damages at school, but even then, no student or teachers died. While I would have liked better if it didn't happen, their life are not in danger anymore and that's all I care for. Their happiness doesn't have anything to do with me. The only people I know she attacked with the intent to kill would have been Matou Zouken, Tohsaka and myself, Servant not included, and you'll have to admit that we are hardly innocent bystanders."

"But that's just playing on words! Even if she didn't kill anyone, it was still very close. What's to say it won't happen again?" It was strange. Ilya had seemed to be on Sakura's side in this situation, but now, it was like she was trying her best to make me kill her. Still, my mind had been made up. The coldness, hardness and patience of steel were something different. Barely an hour ago, I would never have dreamt of posing a logical argument like that, but for now, I was able to see all the picture and using cold hard logical facts instead of running with my emotions.

"You are right that it was a close thing. But does it make her a guiltier person than Kotomine, Tohsaka, myself or even you? Well no, that's not exactly true: I think the more innocent person is still Tohsaka. Still, just having the potential to destroy and kill doesn't make a person guilty. If it was, should I go next killing every baby who has the potential to become powerful?" I saw that Ilya wanted to still argue, but couldn't find arguments. Still I could see frustration, confusion and other emotions warring on her normally cheerful face as she wanted to deny what I was saying. "What I just want to say is that as long as Sakura doesn't kill any innocent people, I'll protect her from anyone, even from her big sister."

Suddenly, a huge magical presence made itself known. The amount of magical energy was dwarfing even Ilya's huge reserve, not even talking about my pitiful one. The presence was familiar to me though, and surely the Servant Rider appeared from thin air a few feet from us. I had made contact with Rider several times in the last few days but I still couldn't get used to her. Part of it was that the Servant was a very beautiful woman, with long purple hair, a beautiful body barely concealed by a revealing one piece short black dress and a doll-like face, which half was hidden by a leather blindfold. The major part, though, was that Rider was a very powerful Servant. Her blindfold was actually a Noble Phantasm used to seal the Silver Mystic Eyes of Petrifaction, a Mystic Eye of the highest order and the symbol of the Heroic Spirit Medusa. While she had been pathetic under the control of Shinji, with Sakura as a Master, Rider was a fearsome opponent. Still, even though in our last encounter, the black clad Servant had beaten me soundly, she had helped me with saving Sakura and she had saved my life at the Ryudou temple. As she hadn't attacked us and as she wasn't emitting hostility, there was no reason for me to be discourteous.

"Good evening, Rider. What are you doing here? I thought you would stay at Sakura's side." At Sakura's name, I saw Rider wince slightly. Each time I had met with the black clad Servant, she had been emotionless and machine-like but this time, it was different. Although she still had her cold shell, deep inside, she was definitely upset by something.

"I would have been, but as of twenty minutes ago, my Master has been killed." The answer had been short with a voice colder than usual, but there was a bitterness hidden underneath. For a few moments, I was unable to process what had just been said. Then, it hit me like a ton of bricks and shattered my mind of steel for a moment.

"They… killed… Sakura?" There was a disbelieving quality in my voice. I absently noted that Ilya and I had spoke at the same time and most likely had the same face. "How did they… Why?"

"I don't really know the details but half an hour ago, I felt Sakura's mana settle down to a manageable level, then Archer's Master came back. A few minutes later, I felt my bond with Sakura vanish." A short and concise report of what had happened but under the still even tone, the self loathing was being apparent.

"Still, why have you come here, Rider? Why are you losing time when you will disappear shortly? It is not as if it benefits you." The upset and uncertain tone of just a few moments ago had disappeared from Ilya's voice, only leaving the cold and logical magus behind. I could feel my emotions and feeling settle down again under a curtain of steel.

"I'm afraid you are quite mistaken, Berserker's Master. While it isn't on the same level as an Archer, my Rider class allows me a C-rank Independent Action, which means I won't disappear so quickly. As for my presence here, I have come to ask Emiya Shirou to become my Master." For some reason, I wasn't as surprised as I thought I would be. It seemed learning about Sakura's death had numbed my brain and I was on autopilot.

No, even that was a lie. The reason I wasn't surprised or upset was that a cold hard part of me was telling me that it wouldn't bring back Sakura. Neither would it help me understand the situation better. Instead, this growing part of me was plotting plans for the remainder of the Grail War or what use I could make from a partnership with Rider.

"WHAT?" Uh, it seemed that all composure had left the fairy-like girl as she yelled angrily at the purple haired Servant. I didn't understand why she was being so aggressive towards her though. "Why would you want Shirou as a Master?"

"A few days ago, Sakura asked me to protect Emiya Shirou. Then, he managed to help freeing Sakura, which then freed me from Shinji's fake Mastership." The purple-haired Servant turned her head at me and even under her blindfold I could feel her inhuman gaze on me. "For that you have earned some respect from me, Emiya Shirou. That you were willing to help Sakura as well was appreciated as well. As I need a new Master, I thought I would ask you first." I could only nod my head at that. Still, I had to know something.

"Do you want revenge for Sakura's death?" Ilya turned her head at me with a betrayed look that would have been comical if the situation hadn't been so serious.

"Are you really thinking about making a contract with her, Shirou?"

"If I want to stop this war I'll need some power. While you would be a very powerful ally, it wouldn't make sense for me to refuse another one would it, Nee-san?" Ilya sent me a calculating stare before sighing in resignation. I could hear her whispering about how it was obvious why I was thinking about making a contract with Rider while looking down at herself, but I had turned back to the black-clad Servant. "Even though you have saved my life against Assassin, and you seem like a good person at heart, I still need to know: will you only do this for revenge or can I count on you to follow my orders obediently. I intend to end this war but for that, I need to be sure of you and your intentions." I knew firsthand how a Servant could sometimes act on his own volition, and I didn't intend to risk that. What I could see of Rider's face was unreadable and her posture tensed a bit before she seemed to relax.

"While I won't deny I want the ones who killed Sakura dealt with, I will follow your orders." Then, there was a slight twitch upwards of her lips, fast enough that I wasn't sure it even occurred. "It seems Sakura was right, you truly are a good person aren't you, Emiya Shirou?" I gave her a nod before looking at Ilya, who still looked a bit peeved.

"It has been twice that you have helped me now, Nee-san. Earlier you told me you would support me whatever path I wanted to follow. Can you accept the road I intend to carve?" The pout she had on her face vanished and only the stony mask of a Magus remained. The white-haired girl looked at me with a calculating stare before sighing while shaking her head.

"I'll admit I didn't expect you to want to disregard the happiness of the people you saved. Still I have to know: will you sacrifice the people you love to save people you don't even know? You never answered this question, even though you explained quite thoroughly the difference between saving someone and making them happy."

"Even though it is hypocritical of me, I will save the ones that are close to me first. A hero can only save the ones he wants after all. In the long term, protecting the ones I care about is more beneficial that protecting a few unknown people." Even though it could appear cold-hearted, it was true that protecting someone like Ilya could help saving more people later than if I protected a few people instead. Said girl kept her unreadable eyes on me before smiling slightly.

"It's strange how you can say almost the same things as Kiritsugu, but mean the exact opposite. Still, I'll accept your answer. I'll help you to the best of my abilities Shirou. After all, isn't it the role of a big sister to show the way to her little brother?" I could only give a feral smirk to the fairy-like girl before bowing my head to her.

"Then I'll put my fate in your hands as well, Nee-san. Please take care of me."

**AN: **That's it for now =D This chapter was meant to be longer than that but if I had carried on with it, the prologue only would be about 20k words ^^" Instead, I've decided to divide the prologue in shorter parts. The second part of the prologue should come in a few days I hope. I got the inspiration for this story from the very good story from Gabriel's Blessing "**Those who love monsters**", a Medaka Box/Bakemonogatari crossover which I recommend you to read if you didn't! When I first read this story, although I got the Bakemonogatari references, I didn't understand all the MB ones and it made me want to read the manga as well. When I did and saw the main Heroine being as distorted as she was, I couldn't help but think about an overpowered female Emiya Shirou x) Thus was born this story ^^

The prologue will mainly talk about the Holy Grail War and how Shirou will go to Hanokiwa Academy just in time to see Medaka being elected as president of the student council.

As for why I didn't update ToF… well at first I had started my summer with a lot of hopes and a happy heart, thinking I would be able to write my stories before focusing on my exams. However, my summer got way busier than I thought it would be, and I quickly found myself in August before I could go further in my stories. Now, when I'll get my definite timetable, I'll be able to give a better estimation on when I'll be able to update. Still I hope to update my stories in the next one or two weeks.

Anyway, I would like to thank all the people who have either reviewed, favored or even just followed my stories and I hope I'll be able to answer your expectations =D As usual, I'm totally open to constructive criticism, and even flames as long as they give some advice on what you would like to see modified. If you see blatant grammatical or vocabulary mistakes, please signal them to me so I can correct them as well !

Until next time !


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